Drop Dead Demons (28 page)

I fell. Fast.

Cold water soaked my back as I slid, racing down and gaining speed. Like riding the tubes at the waterpark I’d been to with my family last summer. But this was pitch black. And no guarantee of a safe landing.

I sloshed this way and that, skimming up one side and then the other. My hands reached out in a useless attempt to slow myself down and just made my rocking motion worse. I almost spun a three-sixty. I wanted to scream but was too afraid of drowning from masses of splashing water.

I wanted it to stop.

Then I shot out of the tube and wished I was back in because some worse horror was probably waiting to gobble me up with extreme prejudice. And chomping of sharp teeth.

I flew through the air then dropped, splashing into even colder water. Deep. Freezing. Still dark. Bubbles caught starbursts of faint turquoise light. I pumped my arms, kicked frantically, broke the surface, and sucked in a loud breath.

Something splashed next to me. I screamed and swam away. A head popped up.

“Ayden!” I treaded closer as he flipped hair and water from his eyes.

We were in a large pool with sheer walls on three sides, one of which had holes where we’d come shooting out. More glowing algae spidered eerie light across the walls, ceiling, and even networked underneath the deep water until it faded to pitch black. A mass of thick roots or vines entangled with the algae, some dangling from the ceiling like streamers, others clinging to the walls.

Someone splashed beside us then came up sputtering, “All her bloody fault!”

Oh, yay, Matthias survived.

A duet of shrill screams cut off his colorful rant. Blake shot into view, Tristan clutched in his arms. Their shrieks drowned out when they cannon-balled right on top of my favorite Aussie. Logan was next, arms flailing.

Jayden swan dived. No splash.

“You alright?” Ayden caught my hand.

“Not when what’s in the water gets us!” Tristan splashed a spastic swim for the jagged shore. “There’s probably some monster down there waiting to eat us! Or leeches!”

“Leeches?!” I kicked hard, fast, and frantic for the jagged shoreline.

Matthias spit water. “Bloody loon.”

“Fine! Get eaten by Jaws,” Tristan said.

I crawled up the rocky ledge, using the thick roots lining the sides to pull myself free of the water. Our rocky beach funneled into an algae-illuminated tunnel which looked much safer than the murky waters of death. I helped haul Ayden out and waved for the rest of the guys to hustle.

“Mandatum infiltration,” intoned a voice.

Super. Sally Security was back. “Shut up!”

“Love that sexy voice.” Blake heaved out of the pool. “Not as sexy as yours though, babe.”

He grabbed Tristan and Logan and lifted them out like they were bags of soggy marshmallows. Matthias ignored my hand and climbed out on his own. Jayden was flipping and diving under the surface.

“It’s very refreshing!”

“Come on, Flipper,” Matthias said.

“We’re all going to die!” Tristan shook off the water. “We can’t get out. There’s no food.” He spun, slapping at seaweed on his back. “Is it a leech?
Is it?!”

“Calm down.” Ayden slapped the slimy green plant of Tristan’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

The water in the pool started to bubble and churn, gaining speed and swirling into a whirlpool that caught Jayden in its vortex. His arms flailed as he went under.

“Quit messing around,” Ayden said.

But when Jayden finally surfaced, he looked confused and scared. “I can’t g—”

The current accelerated and pulled Jayden under again.

Matthias snapped out his hand. “What the bloody...” He repeated the motion, but no whips unfurled from his fingertips.

Blake reached an arm up, grasped air, then flung it down. Frowned. Repeated the move. Logan spiraled his hands then glared at them when nothing happened. 

“Now
would be the time to save him!” I said.

“My powers don’t work!” Blake dropped to his knees and patted the earth.

“Same here, mates.” Matthias glared at the dark tunnel like he could scare the shadows into moving.

“What’s going on?” Tristan grasped both sides of his head.

Ayden pointed at the water with one hand while trying, and failing, to ignite the other. “We need to get him out of there!”

No kidding. I grabbed one of the roots and pulled. It didn’t budge. Blake brushed me aside, grabbed a bunch in one hand, and ripped them out, then sifted through until he found one he liked.  

He flung it out to Jayden. “Grab on!”

It landed close, but Jayden missed. Blake tried again. And again, but Jayden kept missing, disappearing under the water for longer periods.  

Ayden tied a root around his waist. “I’m going in. Someone hold the end.”

“He got it!” Blake yelled triumphant.

Jayden wrapped the root around his arm. Blake snapped it taut then backed up and planted his feet. “Everybody pull!”

I ran behind Ayden as we all latched on and pulled. Sweat beaded into my eyes as we strained in the musty, humid air, dragging Jayden through the heavy current and closer to shore. He kicked the last few feet.

Even had one hand on the rocky edge when a monstrous beast burst from the water. 

At least a part of it.

An enormous tentacle, the size of the giant redwoods you can drive your car through. It flung over our heads. Seaweed hanging like ripped tendons, the twisting appendage snapped the air, drenching us with dank smelling water.

We ducked. The vine in our grip slipped forward. Something speared the ground next to us. I jumped back from the…giant metal blade? 

Yep. With this up-close and way-too-personal view, I saw the creature was all metal. A huge mechanical squid, the deadly limb constructed of interlocking metal plates that narrowed at the end to a sharp, steely harpoon. Which, after stabbing into the rock next us, seemed to be stuck.

Ayden pushed me into Logan’s arms. “Get her out of here!” Then he ran to the shore, Matthias right behind him.

Logan and I ran toward the tunnel. A shadow swiped overhead. Hanging seaweed slapped my face. I tasted dirty water, stumbled. A tentacle slammed into Blake. He flew through the air, then thudded and spun out on the rocky ground.

I started to go to him, but Logan cried, “Get down!” and pulled us both to the ground as more and more tentacles whipped through air.

Gears groaned. Joints creaked. Metal squealed. The pool’s surface frothed as the multitude of scaled feelers surged from the center of a growing whirlpool where currents swirled into a dark pit. Over the crashing tides, the loud
whir
of blades echoed, like someone had just turned on a colossal garbage disposal. 

Ayden and Matthias yanked Jayden out of the water and the trio ran, Matthias shouting, “Move, move, move!”

Logan and I reached Blake who was being helped by Tristan. Something hissed past and rock exploded at Tristan’s feet. A harpoon speared the ground. The tentacle groaned, trying to twist free. Behind us, a dozen more snaked up, poised, ready to attack.

Someone shoved me forward and I sprinted into the tunnel, arms raised like that could somehow stop the ginormous, harpoonified, robo-squid.

The tunnel curved and zigged-zagged, and when the sounds of whirling rapids and whipping metal limbs faded, we stopped. I flopped next to Jayden sitting on the ground, head in his hands. 

Matthias leaned against the wall beside him, panting. “Everyone okay?”

“I think,” Tristan gulped and clutched his chest, “I’m having,” lots of wheezing, “a panic attack.”

“When are you not?” I said.

Ayden collapsed beside his brother, flicked and snapped his fingers, rubbed his palms together. “Still nothing. Crap.”

“My powers were…impeded.” Jayden heaved deep breaths, long black hair dripping off his face. “I don’t understand.”

“I do.” Matthias glared cold gray eyes my way. “Way to go, moron. You broke us.”

“Oh, shut up,” Ayden said wearily.

“Yeah,” I said, but honestly didn’t know if Matthias was wrong.

“Check your cells.” Ayden pulled out his phone and they all followed suit, walking around to see if they could find a signal with the waterproof devices. No luck.

“Fascinating.” Jayden trailed a finger along the wall where water trickled down.  “I’m sure it’s temporary. Perhaps Flint invented an elixir to put in the water as a security measure to nullify hunters’ attacks.”

“So quit touching it!” Tristan slapped Jayden’s hands away from the wall.

I stood and jogged in place to generate some heat because my wet clothes were making my teeth chatter. “Where are Blake and Logan?”

Screams bounced off the walls, morphing into battle cries as the two Hex Boys barreled down the tunnel and stopped.

Matthias scowled. “Where did you get that?”

Blake and Logan wore medieval knight’s helmets and wielded long, shiny broadswords. Well, Blake wielded while Logan teetered and stumbled under the weight.

Blake flipped up the visor, revealing a grin from ear-to-ear. “Guess who found Flint’s treasure!”

Moving deeper into the tunnel, Logan dragged the tip of his sword on the stone, leaving a trail of sparks until Blake stole it and balanced both  blades on his shoulders. The algae thinned out to nothing on the ceiling, but the guys kept a steady pace into the darkness.

Tristan hooked his arm through mine. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Then don’t attach yourself to the albatross,” Matthias growled from the infinite black.

“Almost there,” Blake said with bubbling cheer.

Moments later I felt the air change, become less dense. We’d moved into open space. 

Ca-chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk.
Victorian lamps sprung to life until the whole place was illuminated in a soft yellow glow.

The room spanned out so vast the farthest end was still in dark, but what was visible glowed with exquisite, and seemingly infinite treasure. Stairs on either side led to a second story that wrapped around the perimeter and was equally burdened with acres of ancient riches.

On one side of the entrance, suits of armor — two of them missing the helmets and swords that Blake refused to give up — stood ready for battle. On the other, stood a heavily carved mummy’s sarcophagus, its colorful paint chipped and dulled over the centuries.

Everything else was more mainstream treasure type of stuff. 

Crates and trunks piled everywhere bursting with extravagance and history. Some were open, revealing a cache of glittering jewelry of rich deep colors, ornate exotic boxes, pieces of clothing from centuries past probably taken from some kind of royalty, small statues, shiny and grotesque weapons, and lots of things I didn’t recognize other than to fathom that archeologists and thieves would be drooling.

There were urns twice my height, vases, marble tombs from ancient temples, furniture longing to be returned to some castle, and massive pillars which looked like their last gig was holding up the Parthenon.

Statues stood everywhere. A few beautiful, most creepy. Demonic creatures. Wings, horns, fangs, claws. And several grotesque gargoyles like the ones guarding the school. 

In the center of the room were large wooden tables inlaid with metals and precious gems. Dusty scrolls and more golden artifacts littered the surfaces. The whole place blossomed with the bounty of long lost treasure.

I turned to the Aussie. “Still an albatross?’”

The gate behind us slammed down, blocking our only known exit. Like a guillotine.

Matthias scowled. “Definitely.”

So much for my victory lap.

Muscles straining, Blake tried to pull the gate up but other than an inch or two, it didn’t budge, even when the other boys helped.

“We’re supposed to find some little rock in all this?” Tristan whined.

Yeah. Wasn’t looking good. I shrugged. “At least we don’t have to fight any more whacko security or mechanical monsters.”

Something zipped past my head, aimed for the Hex Boys. They dropped or dove out of the way. A spear
twanged
as it embedded into the grate of the gate and wobbled from the impact.

In a cornucopia of fury, arrows, spears, darts, and crossbow bolts sliced through the air. Matthias yanked out my ankles. I thumped
on my back. The flying death projectiles
thwacked
into the sandy soil around our feet and
pinged
off the walls.

“You just had to open your big mouth,” Matthias growled.

I dove behind a trunk overflowing with fine fabrics. Ayden scurried beside me.

Matthias rolled behind a crate and inspected a tear in his jacket. “Oh, come on. It’s brand new!”

“Not our biggest worry,” Ayden snapped.

“I’m hit!” Tristan cried from behind a tomb. 

Logan whacked Tristan’s shoulder. “It’s just me!”

“Oh. Never mind!”

“We need the high ground!” Jayden called from behind a mountain of crates barely covering him and Blake.

I peeked out. On the second floor walkways statues had come to life, shooting with sharp weapons and plenty of determination. Ayden yanked me back.

“High ground’s taken,” I said. “Sally Security! Abort! Shut down! Cease—”

Metal arms wrapped around my shoulders. One of the headless knights wrenched me up into the line of fire. I twisted and kicked, but all that got me was a possibly broken toe.

“Blake!” Ayden yelled.

Blake tossed one of the swords across the ground. Ayden said, “Jump!” I grabbed Sir Gala-had-a-head’s arms and lifted my feet high. In one continuous move of impressive grace, Ayden caught the handle of the blade and swung it in a wide arc, cutting clean through the knight’s knees.

Shrapnel and bolts flew as the knight
clanged
to the ground. I rolled away, watching oil spurt like black blood from the severed limbs. The knight’s armored hands clamped around my ankle, dragged me across the ground. Ayden swung again, and with a screech of metal on metal, stabbed the sword into its belly. The knight convulsed once then stilled.

“Way to save the damsel, dude!”

I scurried out of the open and hunkered behind the wooden sarcophagus. “What are they?”

“I think,” Ayden panted, “Flint somehow mechanized some of the artifacts.”

“Evil frickin’ geniuses.” I shook my head. “I hate those kind of guys.” 

“Aurora!” Jayden shouted from behind his cover. “You can demilitarize the vault!”

“Small words!” I shouted.

“Turn off security!” Ayden said. “How?”

“I translated it!” Jayden held up the double spiral journal and tapped the symbol on the cover. “This graphic formation indicates that there is a sensor which—”

Splinters exploded as an arrow hit the sarcophagus in front of me and burst through the wood. I threw my arms across my face and slammed back into the wall, staring weak-kneed at the deadly tip of the arrow that had penetrated and stopped only centimeters from my chest.

“Don’t need to know
how
it works!” I shouted over whatever Jayden kept blabbering.

“Understood.” Jayden flipped frantically through pages. “This journal lists the locations of the locks and their purposes…”

Flip, flip, flip.

Blake peered over his shoulder. “What language is that?”

“There’s a deactivation lock beside the Buddha statue from an emperor of the Liao Dynasty,” Jayden said. “But…it’s nine meters tall which is three stories and I don’t see anything resembling that here so perhaps there’s another treasure room which would mean —”

“Jayden!” Tristan snapped. “Is there one in
here?!”

“Give me a— Yes!” Jayden tapped a page. “That wall behind Alexander the Great’s tomb.”

I followed his line of sight. “You mean the marble tomb several
hundred
feet away?”

Please say no, please say—

“Yes.”

Crap.